Gross leak detector and method

Claim 3

The method of claim 1, in which the liquid is contained in an open reservoir within said volume, and in which the article is lowered for immersion and is raised for drying.

Claim 4

The method of claim 2, in which the article is agitated to accelerate drying.

Claim 5

The method of claim 3, in which the return to ambient pressure is accomplished by introducing an inert gas into said volume, and in which said agitation results from the localized and directional introduction of said gas.

Claim 6

The method of claim 3, in which agitation includes spinning the article on a vertical axis.

Claim 7

The method of claim 5, in which the return to ambient pressure is accomplished by introducing an inert gas into said volume, and in which said introduction is so localized and directed at the article after removal from the liquid as to spin the same.

Claim 8

The method of claim 1, in which the return to ambient pressure is accomplished by introducing an inert gas into said volume.

Claim 9

The method of claim 1, in which the liquid is cyclically displaceable from a relation of removal from article contact to a relation of article immersion, and return, all within said volume.

Claim 12

The method of claim 9, in which said liquid is a fluorocarbon of relatively high density.

Claim 13

The method of claim 9, in which said gas is nitrogen.

Claim 14

Gross-leak-testing apparatus, comprising a selectively openable chamber, first means for containing a supply of liquid within said chamber, second means for supporting an article to be gross-leak evaluated in said chamber, fluid-pressure-operated displacement means within said chamber for relatively displacing said first and second means to selectively effect article immersion in and article-freedom from liquid in said first means, a vacuum connection to said chamber, a gas supply connection to said chamber, said connections including means for opening and closing the same, said displacement means being so connected for fluid-pressure response as to effect article-immersing displacement in response to evacuation of said chamber and to effect reverse displacement to free the article from liquid immersion upon supply of gas to said chamber, and means coordinating the interlaced operation of said connections, whereby upon commencement of evacuation the article may be liquid-immersed and may remain immersed until said last-mentioned means is operated to remove the article from the liquid upon commencement of restoration of pressure withIn said chamber, so that the article can be drying throughout the period in which pressure in said chamber is being restored to ambient.

Claim 15

Gross-leak-testing apparatus, comprising a selectively openable chamber, first means for containing a supply of liquid within said chamber, second means for supporting an article to be gross-leak evaluated in said chamber, fluid-pressure-operated displacement means within said chamber for relatively displacing said first and second means to selectively effect article immersion in and article-freedom from liquid in said first means, a vacuum connection to said chamber, a gas supply connection to said chamber, said connections including means for opening and closing the same, said displacement means being so connected for fluid-pressure response as to effect article-immersing displacement in response to evacuation of said chamber and to effect reverse displacement to free the article from liquid immersion upon supply of gas to said chamber, and means coordinating the interlaced operation of said connections, whereby upon commencement of evacuation the article may be liquid-immersed and may remain immersed until said last-mentioned means is operated to remove the article from the liquid upon commencement of restoration of pressure withIn said chamber, so that the article can be drying throughout the period in which pressure in said chamber is being restored to ambient.

Claim 16

Apparatus according to claim 12, in which said chamber and said first means include transparent walls to permit viewing an immersed article under evacuated conditions.

Claim 17

Apparatus according to claim 12, in which one of said first and second means includes a beam fulcrummed on a horizontal axis in said chamber, said displacement means being connected in actuating relation with one end of said beam, and means at the other end of said beam and poised in vertical register with the other of said first and second means.

Claim 18

Apparatus according to claim 12, in which said second means includes a beam fulcrummed on a horizontal axis in said chamber, said displacement means being connected in actuating relation with one end of said beam, and article-suspension means at the other end of said beam and poised in vertical register with said means for liquid containment.

Claim 19

Apparatus according to claim 12, in which said first means includes a beam fulcrummed on a horizontal axis in said chamber, said displacement means being connected in actuating relation with one end of said beam, and liquid container support means at the other end of said beam and poised in register beneath said article-supporting means.

Claim 20

Apparatus according to claim 12, in which said second means includes means for positioning the article within the container of said first means, and in which said displacement means includes means for selectively displacing liquid into and out of said first means, for effecting selective liquid immersion of the article.

Claim 21

Apparatus according to claim 14, in which said beam includes means for selectively positioned fulcrum support, whereby for a given stroke of said displacement means, the stroke of article-to-liquid relative displacement can be varied to accommodate article size.

Claim 22

Apparatus according to claim 12, in which said article-support means includes an article suspension freely rotatable on a vertical axis.

Claim 23

Apparatus according to claim 12, in which a discharge nozzle is connected to said gas supply connection and is directed at the region of article positioning when said displacement means is in the position for which the article is free of the liquid immersion relationship.

Claim 24

Apparatus according to claim 20, in which said article-support means includes an article suspension freely rotatable on a vertical axis, and in which said nozzle is directed on an axis offset from said vertical axis.

Claim 25

Apparatus according to claim 12, and including a bubble-presence detector comprising an optical system with a light source and photoelectric means effectively positioned below the liquid surface and above the immersed location of the supported article, display means including a pressure-responsive device connected to track evacuation pressures in said chamber, and a display-operating connection from said photoelectric means to said display means for automatically displaying an indication of the evacuation pressure at which bubble presence is detected.

Claim 26

Apparatus according to claim 22, and second display-operating means including threshold-operated means in the connection to said pressure-responsive device to determine a second display upon tracking a threshold of minimum evacuation pressure, whereby it can be indicated that the article has achieved such threshold without exhibiting leakage.

Claim 27

Gross-leak detection apparatus, comprising a chamber, first means for evacuating said chamber, second means including inert gas supply means for returning said chamber to ambient pressure, control means for sequentially connecting said first and second means to said chamber, a vessel within said chamber and containing an inert high-density liquid, an article-support mechanism within said chamber and means coordinated with said control means for bringing the article and the liquid into and out of immersed Relation, pressure-responsive means for monitoring instantaneous chamber pressure, bubble-presence-detecting means responsive to the onset of a bubble condition within the liquid, and recording means responsive to both said two last-defined means for recording the pressure at which bubbles are first detected.

Claim 28

Gross-leak detection apparatus, comprising a chamber, first means for evacuating said chamber, second means including inert gas supply means for returning said chamber to ambient pressure, control means for sequentially connecting said first and second means to said chamber, a vessel within said chamber and containing an inert high-density liquid, an article-support mechanism within said chamber and means coordinated with said control means for bringing the article and the liquid into and out of immersed Relation, pressure-responsive means for monitoring instantaneous chamber pressure, bubble-presence-detecting means responsive to the onset of a bubble condition within the liquid, and recording means responsive to both said two last-defined means for recording the pressure at which bubbles are first detected.

Claim 29

Gross-leak detection apparatus, comprising a chamber, first means for evacuating said chamber, second means including inert gas supply means for returning said chamber to ambient pressure, control means for sequentially connecting said first and second means to said chamber, a vessel within said chamber and containing an inert high-density liquid, an article-support mechanism within said chamber and means coordinated with said control means for bringing the article and the liquid into and out of immersed relation, pressure-responsive means for monitoring instantaneous chamber pressure, bubble-presence-detecting means responsive to the onset of a bubble condition within the liquid, and a control connection from said bubble-presence-detecting means to said control means and operative to shift the connection of said chamber from said first means to said second means upon detection of a bubble condition.

Claim 30

Gross-leak detection apparatus, comprising a chamber, first means for evacuating said chamber, second means including inert gas supply means for returning said chamber to ambient pressure, control means for sequentially connecting said first and second means to said chamber, a vessel within said chamber and containing an inert high-density liquid, an article-support mechanism within said chamber and means coordinated with said control means for bringing the article and the liquid into and out of immersed relation, pressure-responsive means for monitoring instantaneous chamber pressure, bubble-presence-detecting means responsive to the onset of a bubble condition within the liquid, and a control connection from said bubble-presence-detecting means to said control means and operative to shift the connection of said chamber from said first means to said second means upon detection of a bubble condition.

Claim 31

The apparatus of claim 25, in which said pressure-responsive means includes a threshold-operated signal generator for producing an output signal upon achievement of a predetermining minimum test pressure, said signal generator being also connected to said control connection, whereby said chamber and article will be automatically returned to ambient pressure if said minimum test pressure is reached without detection of bubbles.